Pride Jiu-Jitsu Academy is a recognized Affiliate Gym with the nonprofit, donation based program Adopt A Cop BJJ. Owner/Head Instructor Tony Ingarra has been a sworn Law Enforcement Officer since 2009 and has witnessed the immediate and direct effects of jiu-jitsu training with police officers. After training jiu-jitsu, officers are equipped with the skills and confidence to de-escalate hostile situations and control assailants with the least amount of force necessary. Adopt A Cop helps pay for an officer’s jiu-jitsu membership at an affiliate gym until the rank of blue belt.
We Defy Foundation (WDF) is a volunteer run 501(c)(3) non profit that sponsors approved disabled combat veterans in Jiu Jitsu training for one year to provide community and therapy for their service connected disabilities. Eligibility requirements include deployment to a combat zone, an honorable discharge on a DD214, an 80% disability rating from the VA, and being new to Jiu Jitsu or a current white belt. We Defy Foundation provides combat veterans coping with military connected disabilities a long term means to overcome their challenges through Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and fitness training. Approved athletes are provided with two gis, or pay the gym for two uniforms up to a certain cost as laid out in our services agreement if the gym requires a particular uniform. For no gi only programs We Defy provides two sets of no gi grappling gear.
Invictus Leo was founded in 2019 when a group of cops got together and decided it was time to push how effective Jiu Jitsu is for law enforcement. The vision of Invictus Leo is to help Police Officers and Police Departments worldwide adopt Jiu Jitsu into their defensive tactics training and in turn, get more officers practicing Jiu Jitsu. Invictus is a collective of thousands of officers spear-heading the #BJJMAKEITMANDATORY movement. The aim is to get more Law Enforcement officers training Jiu Jitsu. Knowing Jiu Jitsu will not only protect police officers but it will also protect suspects based on the scalable factor of the art. In turn, use of force issues will be reduced as well as injuries to police officers and suspects. Invictus hopes to bring police officers together who train Jiu Jitsu, which will help get this movement going. We are sharing ideas as a group on training methods, techniques, policies and how to get more officers and departments involved in teaching and training Jiu Jitsu.